The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 105 is Fresno State basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Fresno State basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 1
- NCAA wins: 2
- Bids: 6
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 16.5
- Bids per season: 0.10
- AP Polls: 32
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 1
- NBA players drafted & played: 15
- Conference Players of the Year: 3
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 6
- Conference tournament titles: 5
- NIT titles: 1
- Other tournament titles: 1
Overall scoop on Fresno State basketball
Playoff P! Paul George is the most famous player to come out of Fresno State, surprisingly never leading the Bulldogs to a winning record in his two seasons in town, but repping them well, as he should be a surefire Hall of Fame once he calls it quits.
The program is actually underrated when it comes to churning out NBA products. Rafer Alston, Melvin Ely, Rod Higgins, and Ron Anderson are other talents to play at Fresno State before going pro.
When it comes to their success in college itself, the Bulldogs have been to six NCAA Tournaments in 60 years, a perfect rate for once every decade. They’ve had two wins there, though, going to the round of 32 in 2001 and the Sweet 16 in 1982. But outside of March Madness, the program also won an NIT title in 1983 and The Basketball Classic in 2022, for some extra banners to hang in their arena!
But before then, head coach Tiny Grant had Fresno State as one of the most exciting teams to watch. From 1977-86, he went 194-74, with three regular season conference championships and three NCAA Tournaments. Then, from 1995-2002, legendary head coach Jerry Tarkanian wrapped up his career with the Bulldogs, going 153-80. Neither of those coaches ever had a losing record with the program.
Lately, they’ve been near the bottom of the Mountain West, with losing records in six of their last seven seasons, outside of that 2022 chip. But historically, the Bulldogs have been a program that can compete at the top of its conference. They might need their next Paul George to walk through the doors!